Your hands are like mine. Hands are not much different really, when it comes to blood vessels, sinew, muscle, skin and grip. They differ in size of course and they differ between the sexes. I’m thankful for opposites that compliment each other, i.e. small hands work well with large hands and vice versa. One…
Extending my creative workspace We all have important phases in our lives. Landmarks if you will. I have had them since the beginning of my work life. My first day in the Hillgate, Stockport workshop was one of them. My life is quite different now to then. Instead of being a boy I am an…
The castle was buzzing with people today and we were busy on every front too. In previous years Penrhyn Castle has had as many as 350,000 visitors pass through the gates in about 8 months. That’s a ton of people. We had a steady stream today but I managed to duck outside a couple of…
I closed the door at 5pm, walked away to the grassy fileds behind the castle and took deep lungs full of fresh air blowing down from the mountains of Snowdonia. The castle looks a bit foreboding sometimes with its feet thick punched slate walls reaching high above me. No signs of wear on the outside and…
New Legacy is different than most schools.Our courses meet the needs of real people and we strive to make certain everyone attending receives the very best instruction. This is the first day of another three day Foundational Part I. I drove in early to finish up a couple of things and then went hoe for a cup…
Many people ask about accommodation near the New Legacy School of Woodworking at Penrhyn Castle and the nearest Hotel to the workshops is about 1 1/2 miles to the castle itself. The Abbeyfield Hotel is an old Hotel offering hospitable accommodation with breakfast and evening meal available every day. The hotel is small and locally owned…
Many people ask me about block planes. No, not the 8″ wooden coffin smoothing planes of old, but the more modern versions with the bevel up cutting iron and fine adjustment wheels that set the iron so precisely. (Pics coming soon) I find students often buy the block plane as a first plane, before…
More related to Creative Workspace Well, back to work today when all others are taking their rest on Bank Holidays. As if the banks need holidays. Yesterday’s visit to Woodfest still resonates with mixed feelings. Here are some more thoughts I wanted to share: A timberframed building comprises many parts fitly framed together with each…
My creative workspace In a field or a tent I sometimes shudder because rain, grass and people damage fine workmanship. Twenty stroking hands on a newly finished pintail duck can cause irreparable damage to weeks of hand work. Master decoy carver Gerry Sanger creates texture to his feathers in the paint surface and not…
Woodfest 2011 North Wales Today I made it to the 2011 WoodfestWales at Kinmel Estate, St George, North Wales. A woodworking event I’ve looked forward to for months. I chose not to be a demonstrator this year and being on my own meant I could sit and talk with my fellow craftsmen and women more…